Unpaid summer internships can be a great deal for you and the intern.  From the intern’s point of view, it’s a real-world learning experience that can boost job prospects down the road. You get to practice your recruiting and interviewing skills. And who knows? If all goes well, you just might hire this person permanently after graduation.

Provided everybody follows the rules, that is. If you want an extra person around without the added expense of a paycheck, you have to be aware of guidelines put forth by the U.S. Department of Labor.

In a nutshell, an unpaid internship has to be a valid learning experience for the intern. Here’s a more easily digestible list of the government’s criteria. Make sure the unpaid intern does not displace any paid employees, but does work under their close supervision and guidance.

If you’re not sure if your internship fits the DOL’s requirements, there’s an easy remedy: Pay the intern. Remember, it’s perfectly legal to pay this person minimum wage. And the internship itself may be valuable enough to the person that a summer of low pay is worth it.

And if you want an intern this coming summer, now is the time to start looking.